Moonlight Shadows
by Psalm 136
Summary: He was shot six times by a man on the run, and she didn't know how to push through. JDA and DCA. No slash. JD gets shot, and the hospital rushes against the clock to save him. Oneshot


**This is my first Scrubs fic, and this popped into my head when listening to "Moonlight Shadow". There are no pairings, mainly JD/Elliot friendship, JD/Cox friendship, and general angst.**

**Disclaimer: Hah. I don't own Scrubs. If I did, I'd just keep Dr. Cox. Oddly attractive, but attractive nonetheless.**

Elliot was always one to dwell on things, which was why she was outside, in front of Sacred Heart Hospital, leaning against the railing and simply thinking. The night air was cold, making her more aware. She still didn't want to return inside. An opened, but uneaten, health bar was in her hand, but she wasn't going to eat it. She couldn't eat anything. Not after two patients had died right in front of her. She squeezed her eyes shut at the memory. Her hands trembled and she dropped the health bar into the bushes. She didn't bother retrieving it.

The door opened behind her and she turned around. Instead of smiling, her frown deepened at the grave look on JD's face. She tilted her head at the sight and reached out, rubbing his arm as he approached her. He smiled at her, but the smile was weak. They were all drained. Doctors seemed doomed to be drained.

"Elliot," He said, grabbing her attention. "I just want you to know that I think you're one of the most capable doctors here, and this wasn't your fault." He placed a warm hand on her shoulder, smiling genuinely.

Elliot felt even more terrible than she did before. JD was the most amazing person she knew. He always knew how to carry on and care for others. She called to him before he headed towards his scooter. She ran to him and threw her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder.

"Thank you, JD." She whispered, smiling in relief. "You have no idea…" She gently pushed him towards Sasha. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Elliot." He beamed at her, warming her heart, and slid his helmet on. He left the parking lot, and she headed back to the front door of the hospital.

Elliot turned around just in time to hear some frantic yelling, the sound of several men running, and see the sillouette of a gun. She heard the screeching of tires on the road, knowing JD was veering out of the way. Her heart stopped as six gunshots rang out into the night. Her detached thoughts wouldn't let her move: _I've never seen the moon so big._

Then, reality smashed into her, and for once, emotion evaded her. She ran back into the hospital, just in time to see Dr. Cox walk by, having heard the gunshots.

Quickly, she yelled at him, "Dr. Cox, get out here, it's JD!"

Dr. Cox stopped dead in his tracks, freezing. He indulged in a human moment, and then turned to her, his face deadly calm. "Barbie, get a room and everything ready. I will take care of him. GO!" With those few words, he left the future of JD's life in her hands and raced out of the door.

_I didn't know he could run so fast._ Was the only thought she allowed herself, and then rushed off to prepare everything for JD. Her heart was racing, she wanted to break down and cry, but this was JD. He needed her to do this for him, so by God, she was going to do it, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to push through if he didn't make it. She needed him to make it.

Perry Cox had turned off all emotion. That was one of his gifts when it came to medicine. He had the ability to detach his heart from a situation and function completely on his brain's knowledge. He had learned that when emotions got tangled up, things never went well, so he had learnt from his mistake. Even though the detached part of him was worried sick, he didn't even hear the pounding of his feet against the concrete. All he knew was there was someone who needed his help.

He saw Newbie's bleeding body on the road, his scooter not far off. He wasn't worried about the men who had shot him. He was worried that Newbie was bleeding. Without a thought, he shed his lab coat and his shirt, using both as makeshift bandages. Dr. Cox placed his arms underneath JD's knees and his back. He hated himself for a moment because emotion slipped through. He was horrified and just plain damned scared. There was so much blood, JD's blood, and for a moment, he couldn't be a doctor. He could only be a human being who cared about this kid, and it wasn't pleasant. He snapped back out of it. His Newbie needed him. He charged towards the ER.

"Damn it, people, I need a damn gurney!" Dr. Cox yelled as he entered the ER, though a gurney came within two seconds. "Get him off to surgery!" He ordered.

Perry Cox had turned off all emotion to save JD. He'd done all he could. Stunned by the emotional rush, he stumbled off to the lockers to get another shirt and replace his blood-spattered pants. He made a dazed mental note to tell Carla to give someone else his patients for the night. Memories of the blood, seeing a bullet not far off from Newbie's body that had gone all the way through on impact, and seeing bloody footprints of the culprits who had just ran away were too much. He needed a nap or a stiff drink, and the first one was starting to look really good.

It was midnight when Dr. Turk exited the OR. He pulled the mask down from his face to speak with his wife and friend. He bit down on his lip, unable to being speaking. Carla saw this turmoil and walked over to him, her arms going around his waist immediately. Elliot joined in the impromptu group hug and the three friends stood there. Their future and hearts stood in the limbo, waiting on the broken man in recovery to decide their fate.

"How is he?" Turk was surprised at the shakiness in Elliot's voice.

"I don't know, Elliot. He was shot six times, and he lost a lot of blood, and there's a good chance of infection. I don't know, but I did all I could." The failure was evident in his voice.

Sometime around four A.M., Elliot found herself on the roof. JD hadn't died, and she wasn't thinking about committing suicide. She needed the fresh air, and didn't think she could stomach going to her normal thinking spot that was right outside of the hospital. The roof had always been comforting to her, anyways. She knew JD came up here a lot to be by himself, and she felt closer to him by being here. With his delicate state, no one was allowed in beside Dr. Cox who had appeared after an hour and taken the chart from the resident who had been treating him without a word. No one bothered protesting.

She sat down on the floor, staring up at the stars. The tears had disappeared. She just couldn't cry anymore. She was left with a frightening calm. She found herself wondering what would happen to everyone if JD didn't make it through. She wouldn't be able to make new friends. Carla would be struck and her heart broken. But Turk… forget Carla and herself. JD needed to live for Turk. The two were brothers. What was Chocolate Bear without his Vanilla Bear? What was Turk without JD? One couldn't exist without the other.

The roof door suddenly opened, but she didn't turn this time. She didn't want to see it was Carla or Turk coming to tell her the news that JD had died.

"Hey Barbie."

Elliot jerked to her feet, swinging around to face Dr. Cox. "Is he…? Will he…?" Her throat was suddenly stuck, though she was without tears. She couldn't form the words.

"I don't know. He hasn't rejected the blood, and we're keeping a close watch on the wounds for infection. These next few days will decide, but for now, he's okay. He's still unconscious, but he needs the rest." The words were spoken easily. Almost too easily. As if this was just another patient they didn't know.

"How can you be so calm?" Elliot turned defensive.

"Barbie, I don't need to pour out my heart and soul to you, even if this is Newbie." Dr. Cox's condescension returned, but even that was a comfort, in an odd sort of way.

"Okay." She nodded, looking down at the ground.

"I'm glad you didn't see him like that." He said suddenly.

Elliot looked up; Cox was staring at the ground. "Thank you for not letting me find him." She nodded again. "I wouldn't have been able to do anything for him." Her throat was stuck again, but she pushed on. "And thank you for saving his life. You acted quickly. Thank you for being so calm."

"For God's sake, Barbie, stop thanking me!" He snapped at her, crossing his arms over his chest.

Elliot was stung, but saw the almost tender look in his brown eyes. She nodded in return. "Alright." She paused. "Can I see JD now?"

"Not until we've gotten him a fresh pink hospital gown."

'Barbie' shook her head, exhaling. At least she and Dr. Cox had come to some sort of understanding.

Elliot had been sitting at JD's beside for hours now. Tears were streaming down her cheeks at seeing his battered, bandaged body. His heart monitor was steady. He was alive. But he was so _pale_ and sickly looking. It was all so real to her now, being able to hold his cold hand and talk to his unmoving form. Her best friend might not be able to live. He might die. She began trembling again at the thought.

She glanced towards the window and watched the moonlight cast shadows. "Please don't take him away from me. I need him for a little longer. Please." She whispered to the empty silence. "We need him."

Newbie was coding.

Dr. Cox roared wordlessly as he rubbed the paddles together, not bothering to listen to the nurses' babble. "CLEAR!" He shouted, pressing the paddles to Newbie's chest. "God damn it, Newbie. You are not dying on us now!" He rapidly kept sending shock waves into the young man on the bed. "Damn it!" His limbs were weak from lack of sleep and lack of food, but his mind was forcing his body to continue.

"CLEAR!"

Nothing.

"Damn it… CLEAR!"

Nothing.

The moonlight had long since faded. "CLEAR!"

Nothing.

The shadows were slowly being melted away by the weak, blue morning light.

"CLEAR!"

Had John Dorian faded with the night and the moon?

"CLEAR!"

Elliot looked on from the window. She couldn't go into that room; Dr. Cox had forbidden her. She wanted to be there in her friend's last moments, unable to do anything else for him. It certainly seemed that a cruel twist of fate had stolen her friend away.

"CLEAR!"

She really loved him. Not as a lover. Not in that passionate way. But in the quiet, unwavering way a friend can. She loved him, just as she was sure he loved her in the same way. She couldn't help but remember how adorable his smile was, and how impish he could be. He could be the most annoying person in the world, but he always came through when it mattered. He was a great doctor, and he actually cared. He wasn't worried about moving up the ladder. He was worried whether or not someone lived or died.

"CLEAR!"

Had they failed him? It seemed that way. The one time he really needed them, they failed.

"CLEAR!"

The beeping of a heart monitor said otherwise, though.

Dr. Cox fell to his knees beside JD's bedside, his forehead against the mattress. "JD… don't do that again, please." Though the younger man couldn't hear him, it didn't matter.

He pulled himself together and left the others to do what they could to make sure his heart didn't fail again. He saw Barbie hadn't left the window where he'd yelled at her not to come into the room.

"Barbie." He greeted her quietly. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a ghost of a comforting smile. "I think Newbie's going to be okay."

"Yeah," She replied. "Yeah, I think he is."


End file.
